Design of wool yarn artificial muscles of double-helix structure and application of moisture-sensing smart textiles

Abstract

At present, there are some problems with fiber-based artifical mucles, such as harsh stimulation conditions, chemical toxicity, and high cost, To remove the barriers of their application in intelligent textiles, was investigated the fabrication, performance and application of a kind of skin-friendly woolen yarn artificial muscles. The natural wools are twisted and folded a to form a self-balanced double-helical structure. Oxygen plasma was used to clean and activate the wool surface. The as-prepared woolen yarn artificial muscles were further fabricated into woven fabric muscle actuators. By using the scan electric microscope, tensile tester and high-speed camera, the actuation performance and affecting factors were discussed. The results show that the rapid response to dry and wet state and reversible torsion deformation are realized, and the rotation degree of the woolen yarn artificial muscles can reach 373(°)/cm with good cyclic performance. Fabric actuators show good curling performance under the stimulation of water fog, providing a new strategy for the application of moisture-sensing smart textiles.

Keywords

• artificial muscles
• actuators
• humidity-responsive materials
• smart textiles